GILROY — Oakwood entered Thursday’s game with a chip on its shoulder.
After a 22-2 regular season, the Hawks were given the No. 6 seed in the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs. From the very start of their 2nd Round contest against St. Lawrence, they were out to prove they deserved a higher seed.
Oakwood certainly made its case heard, easily topping the Celtics 67-30 at Gilroy High.
“Going into CCS, we had a pretty good season,” senior guard Jonathan Angulo said. “We think, I think, we deserved a higher seed. We got the (No.) 6 seed, but you know what? We’ve got to show them what we can do and we’ve got to make ourselves proud.”
It took just two seconds for the Hawks to score three points as freshman sensation Youssef Eshra drove to the basket, scored and was fouled to complete the 3-point play. It was the start of a 12-0 run for the Hawks, who didn’t allow St. Lawrence to score until the clock wound down to three minutes. Nate Schilling hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hawks a decisive 17-7 lead at the end of the first.
Oakwood coach Kort Jensen utilized his bench, which pulled its weight defensively. The team achieved the goal it sets for itself every game of not allowing its opponent to score more than eight points a quarter. The Celtics were held to just seven points in the first and the fourth and eight in the second and third quarters, thanks to holding guard Zach San Diego to just eight points in the game.
“I know St. Lawrence normally scores a fair amount of points,” Jensen said. “They have a really good guard, so we focused on him. I thought we did a good job on him.”
Oakwood, on the other hand, jumped out to a 40-15 lead with back-to-back explosive quarters. Sophomore Miles Batey came off the bench to score four points, but his was more of a force on defense where he made his presence known on the boards.
But Batey was the first to say that it wasn’t a one-man show against the Celtics.
“It was more of a team effort,” he said. “We all tried to rebound, the first quarter was a little shaky, but we were getting at it. This is CCS, we’ve got to step up our game a little bit.”
“Miles is a beast,” Jensen added. “I wish he were a little taller because the kid plays with such a big heart. He always comes in and he’s so physical. He rebounds a lot and brings a lot of energy.”
Angulo led all scorers with 15 points, followed by the 6-9 Justin Mortensen who posted 14 and Eshra with 10. The other Hawks big man, 6-7 Zac Jenkins, and Nate Schilling both had eight a piece.
The road only gets tougher from here as Oakwood (23-2) will take on No. 3 St. Francis Central Coast Catholic in the quarterfinals Saturday at Alma Heights. The time is yet to be determined.
Jensen said he’s saving the fireworks for St. Francis (13-12), but after watching the Sharks twice this season he knows getting past them will be no easy feat.
The Hawks feature eight freshmen, while St. Francis boasts a slate of seniors — much bigger seniors. But Jensen believes his team’s quickness and height will help wear down the Sharks.
“Now it’s a step up with the bigger schools that have a history of winning. Do we have the ability? I think — I don’t think — I’m positive we can play with anybody. …It’ll be a war,” Jensen said. “Before it’s all done, it’s a war.”
